Columbia, Mandela Vieux

Cafe Granja La Esperanza is known to be among the first to introduce the geisha to Colombian soil. They are also well-regarded as a producer of higher end specialty coffees grown in eight distinct microclimates in the Colombian uplands. In command are brothers, Rigoberto and Luis Eduardo Herrera, who are continuing their family’s farming legacy into the third generation. Their coffees have increasingly been used in different categories of World and National Coffee Championships, with the competitors frequently ranking high. They have five farms spread out in three mountain ranges at varying altitudes from 1,400 - 2,000 masl.

Mandela is a Cafe Granja La Esperanza cultivar that resulted from multi-phased cross breeding involving Colombian Caturra, Timor Hybrid, and Ethiopian landraces. The objective was to improve flavor potential and cup quality together with increased resilience and productivity. Mandela Vieux was processed with significantly extended fermentation and drying times that resulted in a complex melange of ripe berry, tropical, and dark fruit notes alongside a rich caramel quality. “Vieux” alludes to the way an aged Dutch brandy is named and the generally potent flavor character of this coffee.